A vampire story: The beginning

So my friend loves the werewolves-n-vampires genre, and instead of laughing at her like real friends do, I decided to try my hand at it. This one's for you, Jelly! 

***

David walked along a mud-filled path in between torn buildings. Civilisation was in ruins, propagated by a scientist with a cure for the common cold. The powers that be decided that the loss of pharmaceutical sales wouldn't do, and they conceived an equally resistant virus. It worked too well, causing the death of humankind, and the reanimation of the said dead. The remaining pockets of survivors lived in a lawless world, scavenging and killing each other for the needs of their own.

Zombies were David's last concern that night. After all, he was a distant relative himself. The walkers ignored him in lieu of choice human flesh. David was preoccupied with another fear, one that he had to face every night. As he hugged his cloak tighter and quickened his pace, he noticed a body up ahead. A couple of walkers gave it a curious glance, and shambled along, which is how real zombies commute, unlike track and field athletes like World War Z or Resident Evil would lead you to believe.

"He-hello?" David said.

The body sniffled in reply, so David gave it a kick.

"Ow," it jerked, but made no further effort of small talk.

David looked at the figure. It was clad only in underwear, and looked fairly human. Walkers tend to be distinguishable by their hanging entrails or rotting limbs.

"What are you?" David asked.

"Human, undead, what does it even matter. I might as well be dead," the body said.

"Well, the walkers didn't take a liking for you, so you might very well be."

The figure sighed and sat up. David stepped back.

"N-no sudden moves now."

The thing looked at David for a moment, then snorted. It got up and said, "Well, nice knowing you. I'm gonna look for food now."

It had been years since David last talked to somebody that the sound of his own voice seemed queer. Humans seldom roam at night, and they generally avoid everyone else. Walkers, on the other hand, are abundant, but are not exactly the type to comment on the weather, or their stance in politics. He missed the days when humans were humans, and he could mingle with the population and none would be any wiser. He missed watching his friends die through the generations while he remained young. He missed company.

"Wait!" David called out. "I know a shelter. It has great food, I mean if you don't mind canned food..."

"I'm pretty sure they have a stockpile in the mart."

"There's alcohol too."

The unidentified body paused in between steps. "Booze, eh?"

Back when the looting began, the homeless spearheaded the first phase. Addicts started robbing liquor stores, pubs and convenient stores en masse, and by the time the real robbing began, it was easier to find a 24-karat diamond than a bottle of beer.

"Okay fine. Let's go. I'm Jon, by the way."

They walked a few minutes in silence before David turned to Jon. "Um, Jon, is it? Would you care for some clothes before we go?"

Jon looked down and shrugged. "Doesn't matter. They all come off in the end."

***

They approached the shelter and Jon yanked the trapdoor open. It was an underground tornado shelter with steps leading into black nothingness. Jon was halfway into the shelter before he looked back and asked if David was coming.

"J-just a moment," David said. He fumbled inside his cloak pockets and produced a flashlight. He turned it on and lit the hollowness below.

Jon rolled his eyes. "I thought you were a vampire."

"I... am... vampire," David said, perhaps a little to dramatically.

"So," replied Jon, "you're afraid of the dark?"

"Me? Pshh. Us vampires... we're nocturnal. You know that, right?"

Jon stared at David and said nothing.

"Well... okay maybe just a little," David said.

Silence.

"Okay fine I'm terrified of the dark."

Jon covered his mouth and tried to suffocate a giggle.

"What about you, mister underwear? Mister oh-woe-unto-me vampire, huh?"

"I'm no vampire."

"Well if you're not human, and you're not a vamp--"

"Quiet."

"I'll say whatever I damn well pl--"

"Shh! You hear that?"

David listened to the silence. "Hear what?" he asked.

"We need to hide. Quick, shut the door."

They stumbled into the shelter and pulled the door shut above them. Jon snatched the torch and turned it off, leaving them to bathe in darkness. David panicked and rummaged Jon for his torch. "Give it back!"

It wasn't long before footsteps pattered outside. "I'm pretty sure I saw light moving," a voice said.

As David wrenched the flashlight free, it slipped out of his fingers and clattered down the steps. Jon smacked David upside the head.

"You heard that?" a second voice said. "It's coming from inside there. Might be walkers. Fetch the grenades."

"No, wait!" David shouted. "We're not walkers! No need for the grenades!"

"Ah," the second voice said. "A human. Get me the shotgun."

"Really?" Jon whispered. "Seriously, David?"

The doors opened and the barrel of a shotgun peered down at them. Five men stood outside, some wearing grins, the others wearing makeshift weapons of sorts. David spotted one of them brandishing a golf club.

"Lookey here," the guy with the first voice said. "Must've been doing the dirty down there."

David looked at himself, then at Jon in his underwear. "This isn't what it looks li--oof," one of the men fed David the stock of a shotgun.

"We got use for people like you," the man with the second voice said. "Tie 'em up and put 'em to work first thing in the morning. Break their knees if they won't."

They were dragged back to camp among David's whimpers. The trek was short, punctuated by gunshots aimed at walkers. As they arrived at camp, they were chained to a tree outside the entrance.

"Get some rest, girls." said the man with the second voice. "You got a long day ahead of you tomorrow. That is, if the walkers don't get you first."

A horrific realisation struck David as he sat bound against the tree. It wasn't the walkers or what the humans had planned for him. He was worried about sunrise, because come dawn, he'll be nothing but bones and dust.