There wasn’t anything in the empty apartment. Just an ancient copy of “Thus Spoke Zarathustra”, which I have already read . The large window facing north was very useful, however. I sat there looking out as far as the eye could see for what felt like hours. Everything was still; motionless. Even the light seemed dead.

I walked back to my apartment and grabbed my 30/30 Remington, laying flat and using the powerful scope to get a better perspective of what was out there. I could see the next set of stores just beyond the town crossing, and I was relieved to see a bit of activity. I couldn’t make out who the figures were, military or civilian, but there were definitely about fifteen people gathered together near the diner where I used to grab my breakfast in the morning. I would kill for a cup of coffee right now.

After my little surveilance mission I returned to my own apartment and was startled by the sound of smashing glass from the storefront window below. I immediately dropped the rifle and replaced it with the Mossberg 12 gauge shotgun, patting the side pocket of my cargo pants to make sure the .38 I always carried was still right there where it should be before I left. It was.

I made it down the rear staircase and around the front of the building quickly and then slowed my approach, using caution. I knew it was probably just a looter, but it could also be one of the killers running around town. I wasn’t taking any chances.

Just as I made it around to the front of the store I was greeted by a local police SUV and three officers. Luckily two of the officers recognized me and they didn’t shoot on sight. They did order me to return to my residence immediately and stay out of sight. At least they didn’t try and take my guns. I didn’t argue and made my way back around to the rear of the building quickly, but not before hearing a barrage of gunfire coming from the front. They didnt even yell out a warning, they just shot whoever it was on sight. Looting was a serous offense, one of the reasons I hadn’t raided the empty store beneath me. Also the reason I hadn’t reported the family across the hall as deceased. I needed their supplies, and if the police came in to remove the bodies I was pretty sure they would remove the contents of the apartment as well. I don’t know why I thought this, I just did. Like I said before, I wasn’t taking any chances.

I could hear the officers boarding up the broken window and I went downstairs to offer some assistance, more to get information than out of altruism, and as I exited the building I could see three figures off in the distance. It was the kids from the other day. The ones that mercilessly smashed that woman’s head in. They smiled at me chillingly and the one gave me the finger. I just kept my head down and made my way back to the front, choosing to keep my mouth shut. I wasn’t sure how the law worked these days, but I am sure I still needed more evidence than my word against theirs.

The cops told me they didn’t need any help, and I saw that they were right. They had the place boarded up and marked “NO ADMITTANCE”. Their lips were also sealed tightly, and I didn’t get much information from them before they drove away. I did get a wave from the one cop, a guy a few years behind me in high school. I’d much rather one of those cigarettes they were smoking than a wave.

I unlocked the outside entrance to the apartment again, looking around for the punks that were hiding in the woods a few minutes ago. They were nowhere to be seen, but I could feel them watching me. I left the door unlocked and walked up the steps, inviting evil into my home just like the old vampire movies I grew up on. I entered my place, sat down on my couch, clutched the shotgun and waited for the overconfidence that always accompanies fools like these It didn’t take long for me to be rewarded. I could hear them coming up the wooden stairway, their heavy boots echoing through the hall.

I waited till they were almost at my door and then rose up swiftly and made my way towards the door. I took a deep breath and lunged forward, catching the first one off guard and spraying his skull across the t-shirt of the one behind him. I immediately chambered another round and dropped the second one where he stood, putting the pellets into the now blood and bone streaked shirt he wore before he had time to react.

The third kid dropped to his knees as I slid the action of the shotgun again. His head raised up and looked at me, and I leveled my gun in his direction. I expected him to beg for his life, to plead with me and ask me to let him go. I was wrong. The only reason this kid dropped to his knees was physical. His brain went into momentary shock. There was no pleading expression on his face. Only hatred and rage. His face said “fuck you”, not “save me”. The moment he had control over his legs again he lunged forward and the moment he lunged forward I squeezed the trigger. He fell over dead a moment later.

I wasn’t expecting him to attack. I relaxed the gun on my shoulder for a moment, and the kickback was intense. I’ll probably have a bruise for days. I’m just glad I didn’t miss. That little bastard looked like he wanted to chew my throat out.

That was my first taste of what people are calling “berzerkers”; the violent psychopaths that run around killing recklessly. Those worry me, but not nearly as much as the other ones that are killing people these days. Those aren’t reckless at all, and you never see them coming.