I was only 12 years old when it happened.

A virus broke out across the country and soon, all over the world; infecting people who then turned into mindless flesh eating monsters. I have never believed in a possible "Zombie Apocalypse", but man...

I was so wrong...

It was Wednesday, November 1st and my day started off relatively normal. I woke up that morning to golden rays of sunshine across my face as my adopted sister, Mikasa Ackerman (an alpha female), pulled up the blinds. She turned to me, already dressed for school wearing black skinny jeans, a Nirvana t-shirt, and a red flannel shirt over that. She has always been more of the edgy and "grunge" type with multiple piercings in her ears and combat boots. She tucked some strands of her short black hair behind her industrial piercing and had her hand on her hip, standing over me giving me a blank look.

"Eren, come on. It's time to get up. Carla made us breakfast." she stated in a monotone voice. I groaned and sat upright, stretching and yawning before I looked back at her.

"What time is it?" I asked, rubbing the sand from my eyes. Mikasa went to my closet, pulling out some clothes for me to wear.

"It's 8 o' clock. You need to hurry up and get dressed." She placed a pair of my distressed and ripped jeans onto my bed along with a long sleeved black and navy blue shirt. I stared down at the clothes she pulled out for me and looked back at her feeling a little annoyed. Since I'm an omega, she always felt like it was her obligation to protect and take care of me. No matter how many times I tell her I can take care of myself, she never listens.

Mikasa grabbed my wrists and pulled me out of bed. I yelped and yanked my wrist away and took a step back.

"Mikasa, I'm not a baby! I can take care of myself." I stated, staring hard at her. She chuckled a little and rolled her violet/blue eyes at me.

"Yeah that's why I have to save your ass every time you get into a fight with Jean." She turned around and walked towards the door and looked back at me over her shoulder before she shut the door gently behind her. I groaned in annoyance, tugging my shirt off over my head and pulled my pajama bottoms down. I picked up the jeans and slipped them up over my hips and caught a glimpse of myself in my body mirror hanging up next to my closet. I turned and looked at myself in the mirror with disgust. I ran my palm down the curve of my torso and to my hip bones. I just started growing into my omegan body and I had begun to grow a slight hourglass shape. No matter how many people compliment me on my body shape, I still can't stand it.

I shook my head erratically to get those self hating thoughts out of my head and pulled my shirt on over my head in frustration before I grabbed my backpack and my black high top converse and walked out my bedroom door. The smell of pancakes and bacon filled my nostrils and my stomach began to ache with hunger. I walked down the stairs and into the kitchen that was filled with soft golden rays of sunshine. My mother looked up at me from her stove top with a warm and welcoming smile.

"Good morning, Eren. Go ahead and sit down, sweetie. I'm almost down with your plate." She said, coughing into her arm and sniffling before flipping an egg with ease in the small frying pan. She had been sick for a while but it was probably just the flu that was going around lately. I yawned and took my place at the table across from Mikasa, who was doing last minute studying and taking small bites of her pancakes. I looked over to the head of the table where my father normally sits and sighed.

"Is he ever coming home?" I asked my mother, who was preparing my plate with two pancakes, bacon, and scrambled eggs. "It's already been a week and a half." I said a little more quietly, looking down at the plate my mother served me. She placed her warm hand on my shoulder and kissed the top of my head, doing anything she can to comfort me.

"Your father has a lot on his plate right now, Eren. He's the best doctor in our area. Hell he's probably the best in the country. A lot of people are getting sick and placed into quarantine and the government needs every highly professional doctor they can get." She rubbed my back a little before returning to the stove, cleaning up the mess.

I heard about this virus, but I don't take it seriously. Every couple of years, people in the media scares us with a new and more "fatal" illness to freak us out and act like it's the fucking plague all over again. Apparently this new illness is the equivalent to a zombie apocalypse, which in turn, the reason why I don't take this shit seriously.

After we ate, Mikasa and I went out the door to school. We walked passed our other friend's house and stopped when the front door opened, revealing a blonde haired omega male wearing glasses and a blue plaid shirt with jeans and navy blue vans. Armin ran towards us across his green front lawn and continued walking next to us.

"So, did you guys hear about this new virus that's going around? My grandpa says it eats away at a person's brain and causes them to be cannibalistic. Basically people are turning into zombies and there's no cure." Armin spoke, starting up a conversation. I snorted and tucked some of my silky brown hair behind my ear.

"Don't count on it, Armin. This is just some stupid rumor and another ploy to freak everybody out. Nothing is going to happen." I said, looking down at my converse as we walked to the bus. Mikasa cleared her throat, her hands on the straps of her green Jansport backpack.

"I don't know, Eren. Your dad has been gone a very long time. It might be more serious than you think." She looked at me with slight worry written on her face. I gawked at her.

"Seriously, Mikasa?! You too?! Come on, there's nothing to worry about. I can't believe you actually think this zombie shit is real." I exclaimed, staring at her for a few seconds before staring back down at my shoes. Armin looked at me with eyes the size of silver dollars.

"Your dad still isn't back yet? How long has it been? Over a week and a half? This must be more serious than you think, Eren. This is the longest Dr. Jaeger has ever been away." I groaned and rolled my eyes.

We approached the bus stop and a groaned a second time, this time even louder when I noticed Jean standing there with Marco. Great. I get to see Horse Face first thing in the morning while I'm already stressed.

Jean turned to me at the sound of my groaning and rolled his eyes. "What's wrong "Pretty Boy"? Did your omega hormones turn you into such a bitch you can't even say good morning?" He said, smirking with his head held high, elbowing Marco as he laughed. My jaw tightened as I clenched my fists, glaring up at the cocky alpha.

"I may be an omega, but I can still beat the living shit out of you. You know I'm not like other omegas, Horse Face." I said, standing my ground. Jean stepped forward, towering over me and leaning to look me eye to eye. He set off a dominating scent that's meant to either make an omega crumble in fear and submission or make panties drop. Too bad for him, no alpha's scent affects me.

"You're right. You're not like other omegas. If you were, people would actually WANT to be with you." My eyes grew with both offense and anger before squinting in a menacing glare. I growled lowly, my scent of anger mingling with his dominant one.

"You have no room to talk. What omega would present to a jackass alpha with an ugly ass face like yours?" I smirked when his face fell and he was udderly pissed. Jean raised a fist, about to strike me when Mikasa grabbed his fist, holding it there.

"Jean. As an alpha, you know the consequences of hitting an omega." Mikasa pushed his fist away, making him stumble. She let off scent meant to warn the other alpha if he dare hit her friend/brother. The bus pulled up before Jean could say anything else, making him roll his eyes.

"Yeah you're right, Mikasa. I'll be in trouble for completely messing up an already useless thing." He scoffed, walking onto the bus after the doors opened. My jaw dropped as well as Armin's, while Mikasa growled and let off another angry scent. One thing that you never do is insult an omega's appearance and sexual worth. I realize my hypocrisy but it still hurts. However, I regained my composure and stepped on myself.

"Yeah I'm useless to the ugly ones like you. I'm not into beastiality." I spoke as loudly as possible on the bus. Jean turned red and the other kids laughed, despite not knowing the reason for the comment I made which made me even happier.

Mikasa looked at me with a annoyed and judging look while Armin giggled behind us. I looked back at her and shrugged my shoulders.

"What? Asshole deserved it." I said before I took my seat by the window and rested my chin on the palm of my hand. I blankly stared out the window, noticing rain clouds in the distance as the bus began moving. I sighed, internally wishing I didn't have to go to school, especially if it was going to rain for the rest of the day.

The bus continued down the road and approached the more creepy and suspicious looking area of the street. There's been supposed sightings of ghosts on this road and legends of satanic activity and murders happening in the dark and dense forest. Being a skeptic myself, I always thought the superstitions was bullshit to scare kids like us from venturing into the forest. Something, however, caught my eye within the wooded area. At first I thought it was a couple of homeless people walking through the trees injured, but their skin was totally discolored. I felt my heart pick up when they began to run towards a grazing deer. My eyes grew huge when the three creatures tackled the poor defenseless animal and began to tear it open, ripping off flesh with their teeth as the creature flailed and cried, desperate to get away. They tore open the still live creatures stomach and tore out it's intestines, and that was the most I was able to stomach. I looked away frantically with my hand pressed against my mouth and my arm around my stomach. What in the hell did I see?

What the fuck are those...things?

I felt a hand on my shoulder and I looked over at Mikasa, still afraid of what I had just seen. Looking at the expression on Mikasa's face, though...made me more terrified. She looked just as shocked as me.

I heard kids starting to talk about the things I saw. Most of them suggested they were mentally ill patients that escaped from the psychiatric hospital, but a part of me found that very hard to believe. Armin reached both of his arms over the seat to look at us.

"What the hell were those things?" he asked us, frightened in his face and his voice. I had nothing to say and shook my head, drawing a shaky sigh.

"I don't know, Armin. It's concerning though." Mikasa stated. All of a sudden, on the other side of the bus, a little girl with blonde pigtails and who was no more than seven, screamed and pointed out the window. Her scream caught all of our attention and Mikasa, Armin, and myself as well as Jean and Marco sprang out of our seats to look in the direction she had pointed at within the trees. There were at least six more of those things.

Their eyes had turned completely red and yellow with dilated pupils. Their hair was thin with their color follicles beginning to dull as well as the pigment in their skin, making them appear purple grey or olive green. They obviously haven't been turned for very long, and with that thought I realized that I had been wrong.

The virus had spread.

"WHAT IS THAT THING?" the little girl frantically screamed, crying and burying her face in, what I had assumed to be, her older brothers jacket. Her brother wrapped his arms around her protectively as she cried and ran his hand up and down her back.

The bus driver had obviously completely missed those things and began to get frustrated. She yelled at us to stay in our seats with threats of reporting us the principle.

"Miss Frazure, did you not see those things? There are zombies in the forest!" Jean yelled at her, panicked not knowing what to do.

"Zombies my ass! You all better sit down before you get written up! Sit down and stay quiet!" She yelled at us, glaring at us through her rear view mirror. We all looked at each other, appalled that she could be so oblivious to what we were trying to tell her. However, we reluctantly took our seats, still traumatized by what we have seen. The entire bus went silent for the remainder of the trip.

The bus made it to the school and all of us got off, still horrified from what we saw. Many students noticed the little girl crying and everyone on our bus looking pale. People tried to talk to us and ask us what happened as we passed through the halls, but how can we tell them we saw zombies in the woods?

We remained quiet, getting to our first period classes before the bell rang.

The three of us looked at each other before we went our separate ways, not wanting to separate at all. Mikasa sighed, feeling responsible for Armin and I as an alpha; she pulled us into a hug letting off another sigh.

"If anything happens, text me. I'm not afraid to get up and leave class if you guys are in trouble." She pulled away slowly, looking at us. Armin nodded and agreed that he will do the same thing. I couldn't move or say anything, feeling a sickening knot growing in the pit of my stomach as I kept my gaze downward towards my feet. Mikasa grabbed my face, forcing me to look at her. She gave me a worrying look and couldn't say anything. Instead she gave me another hug when she picked up my scent, filled with fright and anxiety. The first bell rang and the three of us were forced to separate to our respective classrooms.

I took my seat silently in my first period class, staring out the window when I noticed it had started to pour down rain. I sighed and rested my head in my hand, looking into the forested area just outside the classroom in paranoia. Every classroom that day, I stared out the windows to see if there would be any infected coming towards our school. If there was an outbreak in the school, I needed to make sure there were any means of escape primarily out the windows. I was small enough to squeeze through the smaller windows that were in the library and the science lab, but I would need to meet up with Armin and Mikasa somehow to ensure we would be safe and together.

Those were my thoughts all day. I planned in my head that when I get home, I would pack up all of my important shit along with some of my dads weapons in his gun case. I would tell my mom to do the same, dragging her to her car to get as far away to safe place as possible. I had horrible thoughts about my mother turning into one of those things. I held both regret and disdain for doubting my father and leaving us behind despite knowing what was to supposedly happen.

It continued to rain when the school day was over. We walked out to the bus into the cold, zipping up our jackets. I put my dark green hood up over my head and shoved my hands into my pockets, fidgeting and anticipating to get onto the bus and home as soon as possible. Mikasa looked at me quizzically with her pale fingers holding the rim of her black and purple checkered hood.

"Eren" she spoke, taking a step closer to me and putting her hand comfortingly between my shoulder blades. I ignored her, grabbing both hers and Armin's hands, dragging them onto the bus with me. I took them towards the back of the bus by the emergency exit with the seat large enough for three people. I guided Armin to sit next to the window and waited for Mikasa to slide in. Mikasa kept her gaze on me and gestured with her hand for me to sit.

"If anything happens, I feel better if I'm on the outside." She said simply. I stared at her with red brimmed, panicked emerald green eyes, my hood beginning to droop over my left eye. Mikasa lifted my drooping hood up to give me another reassuring look before I nodded and took my seat in the middle. Mikasa slid in next to me, taking my cold and shaking hand into her own. I felt Armin grabbing my hand as well, holding it and giving it a squeeze. I looked at Armin and my face softened when I met his calming one.

"Eren, we'll be all right. I promise." Armin whispered to me, and I almost gawked at him. How can Armin, a fellow omega, be this calm after what we saw this morning? I took a deep breath and nodded. If Armin can be strong, so can I.

We stayed like that, holding hands, yet tense; prepared for anything to happen as we approached that same road. We, as long as everyone else on the bus, gasped at a few dead bodies and broken down cars on the side of the road. Some people even crashed into the ditch, their bodies laying lifeless in their blood stained car interior. I squeezed their hands and blocked out the other kids on the bus panicking and crying. This is it.

We passed the curve when we felt the bus swerving all over the road and the bus driver began to cough and groan. My eyes grew and we screamed when the bus crashed into a telephone pole not too far from the bus stop. The bus driver's body collapsed into the aisle when she disconnected herself from her seat belt. Our eyes were wide when she began to make clicking noises and groaning sounds just like those infected things.

Like a zombie.

The little girl from before got out of her seat when she saw the bus driver struggling on the ground. Her older brother reached out to her in a panic, knowing what's happening to her.

"ELIZABETH NO DON'T GO NEAR-"

It happened so fast. The bus driver pounced the little girl, digging her teeth into her shoulder; breaking the skin and tearing it off. The little girl screamed and cried in agony while her brother and his friends tried desperately to save his sister. Armin screamed and I was frozen in fear. What the hell is happening?!

Mikasa got out of her seat, grabbing mine and Armin's wrists to pull us up. Once she did, she turned to the emergency exit. I grabbed the handle before she could, however, roughly pushing it open and the three of us jumped out as well as Jean, Marco, and all of the other students not trying to save the already fatally wounded girl.

"ARMIN! GO PACK YOUR STUFF! MEET US AT THE FERRY WITH YOUR GRANDPA!" I yelled at Armin while we ran down the street towards our house in the rain.

"OKAY" he yelled, panicked and ran into his house as we passed it. Mikasa squeezed my hand and ran as fast as she could while I tried hard to keep up with her. Sounds of the town emergency alarm and sirens rang through the wet and cold air. We passed many already infected people breaking into people's cars to tear them apart. On the other side of the street was a little boy crying by his mothers body and families desperately trying to get all of their stuff, including things they don't need, into their cars.

I felt my eyes begin to build up hot tears and decided it was best if I didn't see what was going on around me.

My mom was standing out the door, panic in her face and she ran up to us. She pulled us into her arms and began to cry.

"Eren! Mikasa! Thank god you're all right!" She said, kissing us frantically all over our faces. I forced myself to pull away from her and gripped her shoulders.

"Mom! We have to leave! We need to pack up what we need and get away from here!" I yelled at her as the three of us ran into the house. I dashed up the stairs into my room, dumping out all of my school stuff shoving some extra clothes into my bag as well as a pocket knife, a lighter, box of matches, a flashlight, and a couple unopened water bottles I had in my room. I grabbed my backpack and was about to run out the door when my eyes caught an old pocket watch my dad had given me before he left and an old family photo. I quickly grabbed and shoved the items into my pockets before I slammed my bedroom door shut.

Mikasa and I grabbed non-perishable food out of the pantry and cabinets, shoving them into our bags.

"We need weapons." Mikasa said, going towards the gun safe in my father's office. We approached the locked glass case before Mikasa wrapped her fist with a kitchen towel and shoving her protected fist into the glass. The glass broke instantly on impact, shards falling on to the hardwood floors as we grabbed what was in the safe. There were two pistols, a rifle, and a trench knife, along with a multitude of ammo for each gun. Mikasa grabbed the rifle and the trench knife while I grabbed the two pistols the ammo, and one of my dad's collectible baseball bats. We shoved our collected items into our backpacks, Mikasa slinging the rifle over her shoulders and my bat held in my tight grip; and left the office. A blonde haired red faced family friend wearing a camo military uniform came through the doors and approached my mother panicked. Hannes.

"Carla! It's not safe here! You and the kids need to leave the city NOW!" Hannes said frantically. My mother, Hannes, Mikasa, and myself piled into his Dodge pickup and began driving down the street. Mikasa and I sat in the back, loading the guns with ammo if needed. Many desperate, yellow eyed people tried to jump into the back of Hannes' truck and onto his tailgate, but luckily he was driving too fast for them to successfully make their jumps.

We exited the suburbs and eventually made it to the edge of the city. The traffic was jam packed, and many people chose to grab what they could out of their cars to walk to the barricade put up by the city that led to the ferry. After awhile Hanne's sighed.

"Carla, we're going to have to leave the truck here and get to that ferry before it's too late." He spoke. My mom was at a loss for words, obviously shooken up not knowing what to do.

"I don't care what we do as long as the kids are safe and out of Shiganshina." She said, tears falling and she started to cough. The cough made my eyes grow and the worst was coming to my mind.

"Mom? Are you okay?" I asked, unbuckling my seat belt and putting my hand on her shoulder. I flinched when I realized how cold she felt.

She was as cold as ice.

"Mom?" I was starting to panic. This is bad. My mom can't be infected! Hannes put his hand on my mom's shoulder as well, fully aware of what's going on. He pushed open his door and looked over his shoulder.

"Come on, lets get to the ferry, you three." He spoke before shutting his door and going around to open my mother's door for her. Mikasa and I pushed our selves out of the truck and we all held hands to not lose each other; Hannes with my mom's, my mom's with mine, and my own with Mikasa's.

We pushed passed the frantic and crying people that were denied to go on the ferry before we made it to the soldiers on the other side of the barricade, screening people's eyes before either letting them through or denying them access. My mom began to tremble slightly and started to cough again before she let go of my hand and put her hand on Hannes' shoulder to get his attention. Hannes looked back at her and his face fell, knowing exactly what was wrong with my mom. I refused to believe it. There's no way my mom is sick! It can't be!

"Carla. What do you want me to do?" he asked, sadness in his voice. My mom let her tears fall and hit the ground. In her tears were blood, and that was a sign of the virus.

"I want you to take Eren and Mikasa and get them the hell out of here. Get them far away from here! Make sure they're safe!" My mother spoke, wiping her blood stained tears from her face.

"All right. I'll do that." My mom smiled and sighed. She turned around to look at Mikasa and I and we could see her start to look discolored...no. No this can't be.

"Eren, Mikasa. I...I w-want you two to be good. Be good to each other. Protect each other and be with each other no matter what." My beautiful mother began to cry and pulled us into her embrace. Mikasa let her own tears fall, fully understanding what was happening. I began to wail and scream, not accepting the situation.

"No! Mom you can't stay! You have to come with us! For me and Mikasa! I don't want to leave you!" I let my tears pour out, tightly gripping her grey cardigan and refusing to let go.

"E-Eren...honey. Mommy is sick. I don't want you and Mikasa to get it too. You have to be strong, Eren. Be strong for me, okay? I'll see you again someday baby, but now isn't your time. I love you and Mikasa so much." She knelt down, continuing to hold me as a trembled and cried into her shirt. She cupped my cheeks and forced me to look at her, kissing me on the forehead.

"Eren. I want you to promise me you will stay strong. Promise me you will stick by Mikasa's side and promise me you two will live." She wiped my tears away with her thumb and I held her cold hand that cupped my cheek.

"I don't want it to b-be like this...mom...mommy..." I cried more and nodded my head sheepishly. "I-I...promise. I w-will be strong...for you...I love you mommy." I hugged her and cried. She ran her cold hands through my silky brown hair and kissed me one more time. To think this will be the last time I will ever see my mother again killed me. This will be the last hug. The last time I will feel her warm kisses on my cheeks. It hurt. It can't end like this.

….but it is not the end.

"You need to go now, Eren. I love you so much sweetie." She said lovingly, letting me go and letting Hanne's take Mikasa and I to the barricade. I screamed and flailed, reaching out to my mother who turned away from me, refusing to see her child's crying face.

Hannes faced us towards the other soldiers with the screen gun to scan our eyes, then had the soldiers take us to the ferry with the other clean citizens. I walked next to Mikasa, staring hard at the ground as tears fell. I have to be strong. I have to be strong...for Armin... for Mikasa...for my beautiful mother whom I will never see again.

…

Carla hugged Hannes and thanked him for doing what she asked of him, but she had one more request.

"Hannes, I have another favor to ask of you." she said, still scared and crying. Hannes put his hand on her shoulders with worry.

"I'll do anything for you, Carla. After everything you and your husband have done for me, I'll do anything."

Carla smiled warmly at him and kept her loving look on her face, even with the request she was about to ask of her friend.

"Hannes...I want you to kill me. Don't let me turn into one of those...things. Please, Hannes." She spoke in a whisper, begging him to fulfill her request. Hannes' eyes grew big and very badly wanted to say no when he realized something.

Ending her life now while she's still human is better then letting her turn into a monster. Carla deserved better than that, and she deserves to have her life end as she wishes.

Hannes paused and sighed, nodding his head yes. This will be the hardest thing he will ever do, but it needs to be done. Turned or not, her life will end no matter what.

…

Armin and I ran up to Mikasa and I, throwing his arms around us. Mikasa hugged him back first, and I paused. I couldn't believe I will never see my mother's smiling face ever again. I will never hear her voice or her singing in the kitchen as she cooked. I will never feel her warm and loving hugs. I will never receive a pinch to the ear for lying again. I will never feel her kisses smothering my face again. Her touch, her scent, her voice; everything about her. I will never see her again...

I reluctantly hugged Armin back, and broke. I cried into his shirt and didn't stop. I felt him hug me tighter and his own tears hitting my cheeks, and we cried together. Not too long after, Mikasa hugged us both and we sat on the cold wet floor of the ferry, huddled together in comfort.

As it turned out, Armin's grandfather was refused access to the ferry as well for being infected. We didn't have anyone but each other. We will learn to survive in this world alone. Many things will happen we didn't expect but with each event, no matter how gruesome or depressing, we will have each other.

And five years later, something happened that none of us were expecting, and changed the course of our goal.

From survival to saving the human race as we knew it.

I pulled the pocket watch and the photo from my pocket, gripping the antique watch and opening the folded photo. It was taken when Mikasa and I were no older than nine, and in the photo was my mother and father. My dad smiled to the camera with his hand on my shoulder and arm around my mom. My mom had both of her hands on mine and Mikasa's shoulders, her beautiful green eyes glowing and her loving smile warm. This is how I wanted to remember my mother. Warm, caring, beautiful; everything that she was that I will never see again.

I ran my fingers across the photo, and let my tears fall onto the picture. After a moment, I looked up at the sky where there was a clearing. I stared at the many stars that were visible and sighed, giving small smile.

"Don't worry, Mom." I whispered, tears still falling down my cheeks. "I promise, I'll be strong." I folded the picture and put the items back into my pocket before looking back at the stars, Mikasa having her arm slung around my shoulder and holding my hand with her head on my shoulder; Armin's head resting on my chest, both fast asleep. I tightened my hold on them, as my tears fell onto their hands placed in my own.

"I love you, Mom."