text: You speed away from the military zone. The terrain slowly morphs back into city. But it's all empty. Nobody is around, and it seems like the power grid is gone. But that doesn't matter. If everyone's gone, that means the military evacuated them, and that means your wife is safe. Now you just need to worry about you. As you drive on, you see a sign declaring that you have 80 miles until you reach Sacramento. That's no problem. You have a head start on the dead, and a car.
  
  Just as you pass under a bridge, you hear a loud pop noise. Just as you feared, your tire popped on shards of glass. You look around. Actually, this whole road is covered with an even layer of glass shards. Thank goodness you're wearing shoes.
  
  The car is useless now, as all four tires are popped. You couldn't even push it forward, because the traffic up ahead is deadly. The streets are full of abandoned cars, some with their lights on, some with doors still open. You don't know how long you have before the dead catch up with you. You look around and hastily make a choice.
  
  > find Shelter
  The first thought that comes to mind is that you'll need somewhere to stay. You won't last long against the dead unless you have a roof over your head. You quickly go for the nearest neighborhood.
  
  As you walk, you see more cars piled up on the streets. You realize by the pools of blood and shattered windows that zombies have already been through here. A flicker of worry for your wife passes through you, and you quicken your pace.
  
  Before long, you arrive at fairly upscale neighborhood. It's a gated community, which is the very reason you selected this neighborhood. You'll have a fence to protect you, plus the size of the neighborhood. The gates to the entrance are wide open. They were electric, but they've been forced through. Now they swing freely. You make a mental note to find something to secure it.
  
  Now, for the house. You go as far away from the entrance as possible, but not so far that you can't see it. You want maximum warning time if there's a threat. You settle on a three-story house that's up on a hill, so you can see the area around you. It's a decent distance from the fence, which gives you added peace of mind.
  
  When you open the door (thank goodness it was unlocked), the house is in ruins. Furniture is everywhere, paintings lay ripped and damaged on the ground, a TV set has been smashed on the floor, and there's a blood trail leading from upstairs to the front door. You'll have to clean the place at some point.
  
  > clean the place
  You happen upon a few plastic bags strewn across the ground, and get to work. You pick up multiple shards of wood and miscellaneous furniture parts, as well as glass shards. Then, you take a discarded towel and do your best to wipe up the blood. As you clean, you notice boot-prints that match those left by the military officials at the wall. The bootprints are all over the house.
  
  The sun is setting and your back is burning by the time you're done. But, just as you hoped, you can walk around without having to kick scrap out of the way. Sadly, this was just the first floor. It's still progress. You gather up some pieces of a chair and some blankets to create a makeshift bed. You make sure the door is locked, and sleep on the floor.
  
  > A good night's sleep
  When you wake up, there's no telling how much time has passed. The sun is rather high in the sky. You estimate you've lost two hours of valuable time. You have a lot of things you want to do, and the clock is ticking.
  
  > set up a sniping post
  You climb up to the second floor. The wreckage isn't near as bad as the first, but it's still apparent. You can deal with it for now. Your current goal is locating a good sniping window.
  
  The lucky window is accessible right from the stairs. It looks out over the entrance to the house, and you can see the neighborhood gates from it. You get to work clearing the glass and screen from the window hole. Then, you take some furniture pieces and create a small peephole to shoot from. It'll work well...as soon as you get a gun.
  
  > close the gates
  You think of the entrance gates. You wanted to secure them, and now's a great chance to. A short search around the house yields some chains and are carabiner to fasten it shut. It's no password lock, but you'll take it.
  
  It's a lot harder than it looks to seal them off. The gates are heavy, and swing back to the side whenever you lose your grip on them. After an intense struggle, you finally manage to lock the gates.
  
  > set up a sniping post
  Before you can start work on your next project, the sun is going down. You really wish you still had those extra two hours. You find your bed, and try to sleep again.
  
  Tonight, you have a dream. It's an odd one, and you can't tell if it means something. You're in your childhood hometown, but nobody's there. Just like now, it's a wasteland, completely devoid of life. You can vaguely hear your wife yelling your name. Every time you try to run towards it, it seems like it's coming from a different direction.
  
  Eventually, you become aware of a large, black mass coming over the horizon. It looks like an ink flood. As it gets closer, you realize it isn't a flood but a mob of people. They're dressed in black robes, and they're all humming a low, sour note. As they get closer, you get scared. You're terrified. You turn to run, but your legs get shaky and wobbly. You lose control and fall onto the ground. The mob draws closer and closer, and right as it seems like you'll be trampled to death....
  
  It ends.
  
  > In the morning
  The next morning, you wake up at about the same time, losing a few hours. You're happy about the work you got done yesterday, but more pressing matters are on your mind now.
  
  > go scavenge
  You head out, in search of supplies. Your first thought is to check the other houses, but you realize they were probably emptied, just like yours. You continue up to the gates of the neighborhood, and begin the search for supplies.
  
  Considering your options, you have a number of useful places you could go. After some thought, you decide on a local hunting depot. There's nowhere else that has that good of a chance of finding weapons. On your way there, you notice a few walkers, bumbling down the street. You've never killed one close-up before, so you opt to sneak around them.
  
  After some time, you arrive at the hunting depot. It's apparent from your view of the front doors that nothing will be inside. The front windows have been shattered, and the guns taken off their display cases. A torn-up banner advertises a sale on hunting rifles, but you cam way too late to the party.
  
  Your next stop is a sporting goods store, there may be some useful equipment there. But, as you exit the store, you find something better than a weapon. A flyer, attached to a telephone pole. It reads:
  
  The flyer talks about several other things, but it doesn't matter. You know instantly that that's where your wife was taken, and that's where you must go. You head back to your house to make preparations to leave.
  
  > Time To Go
  It's a shame you have to leave such a perfect hideout, but the safety of Washington and the idea of meeting you wife again is more important than hiding. You have very little in the way of supplies, and no weapons. The very least you could do is search for a vehicle.
  
  The first and most obvious choice is the garage of the house. You didn't bother to check it, considering you thought you would stay here longer. You had also assumed the cars were gone. Luckily for you, you were very wrong. The garage has a motorcycle and a pickup truck inside. They're both decent quality, although they have pros and cons:
  
  The motorcycle, while fast, produces a bit more noise than the car. It's smaller, so you can slip through alleyways and traffic jams easier. It holds less gas, meaning you'll need to stop for refills more often. There's also the issue of figuring out how to operate it. You won't be able to do anything flashy, but you're sure you can pick it up pretty quickly.
  
  The truck is bigger, but quieter because of the muffler. You're a grown man, and can fully operate the car with ease. It holds more gas, and more supplies compared to the motorcycle. It isn't as fast, and takes up more space. In the event of debris on the road, you'd have to get out and clear it manually.
  
  > Motorcycle
  You choose the motorcycle. You'll get the hang of it, and the speed will greatly benefit you. There's no helmet, but you don't plan on doing anything stupid, and there's nobody else to crash into.
  
  You take the motorcycle outside and drive up to the front gates. Taking one final look at your brief home, you open the gates, and zoom off.
  
  You have rather limited knowledge of topography around you, but you're pretty sure Interstate 5 will take you straight up to Washington. As long as you're going that general direction, you shouldn't run into any problems.
  
  > To Washington!
  Once you're far beyond the neighborhood, you see the true state of the city. A lot of people died, and those who were evacuated had just as much trouble getting out alive. You see smashed shop windows from raided stores, even more cars piled around the streets, and household items left in the streets. Particularly concerning is a teddy bear you spot laying on the ground. You take it as a sign that its owner is safe, but it's still unnerving.
  
  Along the way, you also spot messages similar to yours, calling for people to head to Washington. They're inked on the sides of buildings, on cars, and even on the roads. You're surprised you didn't see one of them earlier.
  
  You eventually make it out of your home city. There aren't as many buildings or people out here, so not as much wreckage. You continue down the roads until it's about dusk, and you stop at a parking lot. It's mostly empty of cars, leaving plenty of room for you. You take the seat out of one of the cars, and use that as a bed. After making sure you aren't in danger of dying, you lay down for a hopefully good night's rest.
  
  > Sleep
  In the morning, you wake up four feet away from your makeshift bed. You rolled off of it during the night. No wonder your back hurts. You sit up and look around for any sign that the dead were here. All is well.
  
  You get back to your motorcycle and check the gas gauge. All that driving yesterday took a toll. You need more gas, hopefully a lot.
  
  > Backtrack
  You'll lose a lot of time, but it's the only feasible way of getting gas that you can think of. You hide your motorcycle under a car, and start to walk back.
  
  You actually did see a gas station a while back, but you weren't thinking about gas then. You really wish you would've had the foresight to raid it. Without the motorcycle, you'll lose a few hours of progress, just walking backwards.
  
  Eventually, the gas station comes into sight. There's a jerrycan on the ground next to one of the pumps. By emptying out every single pump as much as you can, you fill the can up halfway. It's not much, but it's the best you can get.
  
  After you make the walk back, you fill up your tank, and continue.
  
  > Continue
  You continue along the road at a moderate pace; gas is still a considerable worry for you. If there aren't any more serious issues, you should make it to the California-Oregon border in three days.
  
  You come upon another vehicle in the road. It has the military seal on it, and it's full of zombies. It's a transport bus, meant to take civilians out of red zones. This one didn't make it. Panicked, you scan the faces of the zed, looking for your wife. Thankfully, you don't see her. But the realization that not every bus made it back is still worrying.
  
  You pick up the pace slightly, eager to make it out of the zombie-infested area. the next obstacle you come upon isn't much of one; a bunch of cars stopped in the middle of the road. Luckily, with your motorcycle, you have no trouble maneuvering around the debris.
  
  > Continue
  Riding on the cloud of your success today, you drive until after nightfall. You are shocked that you made it this far without so much as a single bullet, best not to get too cocky. You make it a priority to find a weapon of any kind, soon.
  
  Just as you are searching out a place to stop, a man welding a golf club comes out of nowhere. He hits you in the side, knocking you off your motorcycle. You fight to get back on, but the man is bigger than you, and you're still disoriented from the blow. The man drags your motorcycle off to the side.
  
  "What are you doing?" you ask. The man holds the golf club to your face and answers, "How did you find us? What are you dong here?" You explain as calmly as you can that you were simply driving through here, to get somewhere else. You have absolutely zero intention of hurting or taking from anyone. After you're done, the man still looks fearful of you.
  
  "Please," you say. "Give me my motorcycle back." The man thinks for a moment, before suddenly grabbing you by the arm. He drags you over to the back entrance of a nearby building. "What are you doing!?" you yell, and try to pull away. The man has an iron grip on you, and he forces you into the building. It's an antiques gallery, but all the merchandise has been emptied out of it. The man takes you to the front entrance, and outside.
  
  There's a group of people sitting outside, in neat rows. Another man stands behind a pedestal, wearing a black bedsheet. Your captor tosses you onto the ground in front of the pedestal man.
  
  > Judgement Day
  The man clears his throat, and addresses the crowd. "Ladies and gentlemen, the defendant stands before us on the grounds of trespassing, disturbing the peace, and threatening our fair city," he says in a booming voice. "Defendant? I'm not doing anything wrong!" you yell. The man ignores you.
  
  "Sir, please state your name," the man says to you. You stay silent. "Very well. I am judge Kappa," says Kappa. "I will decide whether you have done wrongs, and how exactly you shall be punished." Kappa's face flickers when he says 'punished.'
  
  "Now," Kappa says. "First things first. The charges. Morales, please read us the charges." The man with the golf club clears his throat, and begins. "Trespassing. Disturbing the peace. Theft. Treason," he yells out. Kappa turns to you. "Have you anything to declare?"
  
  > say "I haven't done anything wrong!"
  "Theft? Treason? What the hell? I didn't do anything," you insist. Kappa looks mildly disappointed. "Very well. Let it be known in the courtroom that the defendant denies his charges."
  
  "This isn't a courtroom! We're outside!" you yell. Kappa ignores you again. "Anything else, before judgment begins?"
  
  > say "What does judgment mean?"
  "What does judgment mean?" you ask. Kappa smiles. "That, defendant, is what you will soon find out."
  
  > ...
  "Trespassing is the act of disturbing one's sens of peace," says Kappa. "This one has violated our ecosystem by trespassing in our area." That's not what trespassing is, but you stay quiet. "Let me ask you," says Kappa, "What would drive a man to commit an act such as trespassing? Whatever the cause, we cannot release this criminal back into the world. If we do, are we not committing an act of treason ourselves?"
  
  There was nothing honorable about that speech, but the crowd goes nuts. After they quiet down, Kappa points to you. "What say you, about your heinous act of trespassing?"
  
  > say "I'm sorry."
  "I'd like to apologize for trespassing," you say. "Had I been aware that this was private property, I would've stayed away. If you grant me a second chance, I can learn the error of my ways, and make better decisions next time."
  
  The crowd approves, and a few clap for you. "While it is good you understand your wrongdoings, you must also understand that releasing a criminal like you without punishment requires serious forethought. Let us see what you have to say about te next charge."
  
  > Next charge
  "The next charge is theft," announces Kappa. "I didn't steal anything," you say back. Kappa looks on in disapproval. "The road you arrived on passes by our supply hut. It is well-hidden, but there is no doubt that a cunning thief like you has taken our supplies. In fact, I'm sure that if we take off your shoes, we will find hundreds of water bottles hidden there."
  
  "Then do it," you say. "In the face of modesty, we will allow you to keep your shoes on. Now, what say you about your theft charge?" answers Kappa.
  
  > say "I can give you something in return."
  "While I never stole anything from you," you say, "I am willing to give we a fraction of my gasoline, to make up for it."
  
  "Alas," says Kappa, "While gas may pay for the supplies, no resource is valuable enough to pay back the peace of mind we have lost." The crowd nods in agreement. "But, so be it. Let us hear the final charge!"
  
  > Next charge
  "The final charge you may appeal for is disturbing the peace," says Kappa. "What rebuttal have you for threatening a calm life in our establishment?"
  
  > say "I don't have one."
  "I can't argue against that," you say. "Society has fallen. The dead will always disturb you, you must know that by now."
  
  "That is all you have to say?" Kappa asks, surprised. You nod. "Very well. I will speak with my subjects, and we shall deliver a verdict." Morales puts a bag over your head, and walks you over to a corner. You sit and wait for the verdict.
  
  > The verdict
  Finally, the bag is taken off your head. Kappa stands in front of you. "After speaking with my people, we have decided that you are not worthy of living, and shall be killed. Have you any last words?"
  
  "Wha, a...." is all you can say before a man wielding a shotgun comes into view. He pulls the trigger, taking your head clean off.