Ray

Pt 1 (warning for suicidal thoughts and swearing)

It’s been three years since the broadcast.

Most who are still alive never expected to make it this far. Three whole years since the world completely collapsed. Three years from the day that changed everything.

Avi had definitely never thought that she would live this long. She had basically no survival skills or instincts. But oh how she had learned. Because if she didn’t she would have died.

Yet Avi is one of the many alive who don’t see a point in living. The world she knew is gone. The people she knew are gone. Everything she knew is gone. So it shouldn’t surprise you that she currently stands at the edge of a roof. A roof thats 10 stories tall. In city she had not even bothered to learn the name of.

Avi Green did not see the light at the end of tunnel. Nor did she want to look for it. But just like three years ago, she was too scared to do anything. Just like she was when she watched each member of her family die.

“You’re not jumping are you?” A voice the girl did not recognize called out to her.

“What does it matter to you?” Avi asked. She had not even bothered to turn around. “I don’t know you.”

“…” There was no response from the voice.

“Just don’t, you never know what you could end up discovering.” The voice finally spoke again.

Still Avi never turned around to see who was talking to her. “You just had to intervene didn’t you?”

“You never had the courage to do it anyway” With that it seemed that the voice was gone.

“I have never had courage, but how did you know that?” Just then Avi turned around. Only to find nothing but a barren rooftop. “What the fuck?” “Jeez I should add schizophrenic to my list of crap wrong with me.” With that Avi knew she was never going to be strong enough to free herself. So, down the stairs she went. Back to the eerily colorful streets. Where a zombie with sunflowers was waiting for her.

A young woman is sitting in front of a small fire. She looks up into the twilight sky as she asks a question to her companion. Said companion never responded.

“Oh, why do I even ask you it’s not like you can talk.”

The companion was a zombie. But if you asked the woman she would she it’s a blooming. It is called that because of how the sunflowers burst out all across their body. Not that matters much. All that counts is it has yet to attack the girl. And that walking beside it lets her travel through the hordes.

She didn’t know why this zombie she had chosen to call “sunny” was like this. Why it didn’t act like the other zombies, even the calm ones. But the young girl didn’t question it. She had no one else. Now she believed that was her fault, but that isn’t necessary to think about for now.

It was just the girl and her zombie. In a world changing faster than anyone could have expected.

“Ay! I never told you my name right?” “It’s avi, and I think Im gonna call you Sunny.”

That was the last thing the girl said as she turned over and closed her eyes. Sleep was a blessing when she could get it. But Sunny helped with keeping away what worried her.

Prolog

“Turn the tv down now young man!”

A middle aged woman is shouting from her small, but well kept kitchen. The boy she is referring to doesn’t even bother to listen. Such is the nature of a male teenager. Somewhere else on the second floor of the small townhouse. A girl lies on her bed as she debates about joining her family downstairs. At the same time a man with greying hair sits at the dining table. He watches the happy chaos of his wife and son arguing tiredly. The man’s phone never stops buzzing, such is the life a hardworking person. But he ignores it in favor of setting his eyes on his daughter. Whom done with her debating joins her family downstairs.

“No major disasters on the news today?” She asks. “Hey! Don’t jinx it dumbass.” Calls her brother from his spot on the couch.

No comment is made about the poor language. Due to the fact that the parents both single children themselves. Have learned not to judge what their kids who very much love each other call one another. Yet the thoughts behind all the bags under their eyes don’t leave not for a moment. The world was falling apart. An earthquake, a tsunami, a wildfire or something worse. Something happens every day. Some disaster that kills thousands seems to happen every three hours. No one knows why and no one knows how to stop them.

If you asked the mother or the father they would tell you the rapture is upon us. If you asked the brother he might say the same thing. Or he would look at you with no light in his eyes, and say that this is the fault of humanity.

The daughter who might not seem important now but one day will be. Would tell you that the earth is finally fighting back.

Only one of them is right. You might already have a good guess of who. But that doesn’t matter for now.

Because the broadcast will go off in three minutes. They lied to you. There was no fix, no end. You should have never trusted the government. You should have never trusted humanity to save themselves. A pity really what will happen to this happy family. And all the others like them.

The father is the first to go. A man with malice left over from a war. A good christen father who would always put his family first. The first of the zombies got him. It was no one’s fault other than his own. You don’t mess with mother earth. Still a pity to know his family watched him fall into the sea of color.

The second was the mother. A once strong woman, who barred two children. Someone who always loved and forgave. A murder attempted to take her son. Just like the earth a mother’s rage cannot be controlled. The offender did not breathe again but neither did the mother. Again a pity that two children had to watch their mother die. Just like her husband she was now gone to join the sea of colors. But at least the children had each other right?

No. For humanity must pay a price.

Lastly it was the brother. Having watched his parents die. His only goal was to protect his younger sister. He failed. A bandit nearly took her life. But just like his mother he made sure the offender could never harm another. Yet he came out of the fight heavily wounded. So not long after his sister watched in horror as he died from infection. Then watched in horror again as he rose up listening to the call of the earth. Just like his parents he left to join the sea of colors.

Then it was just the girl. As I said before, she might not be important right now but oh how she will be.

But for now she is grieving. For now she will live alone, wandering the overgrown streets. And the evolving world.

Though It won’t be long now. It’s been three years since the broadcast. Each year someone she loved died. Is it her turn now you might ask? Well no, she still has much to learn. Sometimes the ones who wish for death are the ones who become the saviors.

In a nature based apocalypse everything in the world would be affected. Including the animals and the food you eat. So after you die you become a zombie to not just if you’re bitten.

Humans would slowly (because they are consuming the infection through what they eat) look more like plants and animals. So imagine a still perfectly alive and human being having the wings of a hawk or flowers sprouting out of their spine. Maybe even eyes like a goats or hooves like a deer. This doesn’t just happen to the new babies though. The wings will split your back open or your feet might contort painful into hooves. It’s not a pretty sight or feeling, but the natural world isn’t always kind.

Imagine that if you would like to put a eldritch spin on this and I do. The infection is the earth fighting back after what humanity has done to it. Zombies would be attracted to aggression and bad intentions. Fighting them would be a death sentence. They are the embodiment of the earth’s anger, you will not win. So if you wish to survive them, leave them be. Don’t live with malicious intent and keep your emotions in check. Because revenge and aggression is a death sentence.

Think that anyone could become a zombie if they don’t keep track of their emotions. Nature is honest, even if it’s brutal sometimes. Not confessing your crush, never telling someone the truth, living in pure sadness. Any extreme emotion can cause you to become a zombie. Or at least speed up the process.

The earth is calmed by its own creation. So the sent of flowers can calm zombies down. Wearing them becomes part of daily life. Different tribes of people have their favorites. And the flowers that work best are the ones meant to be there. So native species work best in their respective regions. Rainstorms can pause entire hordes with just the scent of fresh earth. Decaying fruit can even be a calming sensation for zombies.

The earth reclaims what was once hers. Cityscapes turn into overgrown forests. Suburbs become fields again. The mountains seem to grow taller. And the trees grow bigger and taller than ever before. Not only that but just as humans evolve to be like nature. The animals and plants do too. Flowers grow bigger, roots spread farther, deer’s antlers grow fruit, and turtles keep whole terrariums on their backs.

Crime slowly so much its hard to find. With zombies on the hunt for bad choices it’s just better to work together. Community has never been so flourishing. People focus on farming to keep up the cycle of mother earth and to feed themselves. Color comes back in full force due to flowers being so important to humanity. Clothing and homes look like rainbows have blessed them. There is no surviving if you don’t work with others and respect the earth.

The cycle of life is the most important thing. When someone dies they are dressed in flowers. (Normally their favorites) And sent to join the hordes. These zombies become beautiful sights of blooming flowers. Their presence alone can calm down other zombies. These “bloomings” are not to be harmed its taboo to do so. There are those who take care of the hordes and keep them away from the settlements. These people are the florists. (yes the irony in the name is intentional) They are important members of society, they are not to be harmed. Older zombies start to get rooted in place. They turn into trees that bear fruits or homes for animals to live in. Don’t be wary of these plants they can’t hurt you any more.

The world slowly changes becoming more like its original form before humanity evolved. While also becoming something new. Seas of color, sprawling forests, towering mountains and hills all grow larger. Meanwhile humanity evolves to be like its cousins in nature. Depending on the area they now look like hybrids. Loin hybrids stalk the savanna all while horse hybrids run on the plains. Everything is changing all under the watch of mother earth who will never ever let humanity reach a hight where they are the only ones at the top of the food chain again.